Holy water washes away sins at Ethiopia's Timket festival

By Daisy Carrington and Aja Harris, CNN

updated 4:54 AM EST, Wed February 19, 2014

Every year during Timket -- the holiest holiday on the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian calendar -- thousands of pilgrims flock to the city of Gondar to immerse themselves in holy water. Two days of festivities ends in a jovial splash about.

Nearly two-thirds of Ethiopia's population is Christian, and the majority of that number belong to the Orthodox church.

On the eve of Timket, Ethiopian Orthodox Christian priests prepare sacred replicas of the Ark of the Covenant -- the chest that carried the 10 Commandments -- and parade them in a slow procession to the Fasilides Bath.

For most Ethiopians, Timket is the only time of year they can get close to the sacred tabots. The procession of the relics is accompanied by chanting, singing and the beating of drums.

The tabot is wrapped in cloth the day before Timket. The Ethiopian Orthodox Christian priests then carry the relics on their head through the streets.

During Timket, congregants don traditional white robes.

Timket is the Ethiopian celebration of the Epiphany; the ceremony is a re-enactment of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.

The procession concludes at the Fasilides Bath, a UNESCO heritage site that was built in 1632 for King Fasil. Once they've arrived, worshipers hold an all-night vigil.

On the morning of Timket, priests hold services, then bless the waters in the Fasilides Bath -- filled once a year for the ceremony.

Timket is celebrated slightly differently in each region of Ethiopia, depending on access to water. If it's not possible to immerse oneself, it is acceptable to get sprinkled with water.

Once the water has been blessed, there is a race to jump in. Some participants even dive in from nearby trees.

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Holy festival

Ethiopia's Christians

Taking the tabot

A rare glimpse

A fine wrapping

Dressed in white

The Epiphany

Holding vigil

Blessing the waters

Just a sprinkling

Jumping in

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Timket is an Ethiopian holy festival that re-enacts the baptism of Jesus

Historical bath is filled with holy water for the festival, pilgrims jump in

Thousands of visitors flock to Gondar for the event

Priests parade replicas of the Ark of the Covenant

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Situated about 450 miles north of Addis Ababa, encapsulated by hills and tall trees, and dotted with 17th-century relics from the city's glory days (when it was the country's capital), Gondar today can seem somewhat remote. During the religious festival of "Timket," however, the city is inundated with pilgrims who come to re-enact the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, and take a dip in the holy waters at the historical Fasilides Bath.

Click on map to enlarge.

Click on map to enlarge.

Nearly two thirds of Ethiopia's 94 million population is Christian, and the majority of those belong to the Orthodox church. For them, Timket -- celebrating the Epiphany -- is among the most important occasions of the year. It's is a two-day affair that begins with a procession of "tabots," holy replicas of the Ark of the Covenant -- the sacred chests described in the Book of Exodus as carrying the stone tablets on which the 10 Commandments were written.

The tabots are wrapped in cloth and placed on the heads of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian priests, who parade the streets en route to the bath. The priests, clad in ceremonial robes, are escorted by drums and by the clapping and singing of worshipers, who hold an overnight vigil until dawn.

There are services the following morning which culminate in the priests blessing the waters of the historic bath, while onlookers crowd every nook surrounding the bath -- some getting a pristine view from nearby trees.

When the priests are done, the mood turns jubilant, and the spectators rush to jump into the pool.

The water is now sacred, and the sick shall be cured Ezra Adis, head priest

"The water is blessed in the name of the Holy Trinity ... in the name of God. The water is now sacred, and the sick shall be cured," explains Ezra Adis, the head priest at the local Medhanelem Church.

"That is why the young people who jump in first get excited; it is a spiritual love," he adds.

The plunge is so swift that some participants get battered in the process -- though most are unperturbed by a few scratches.

Awaiting daybreak during Timket

Holy water wash away sins

"I jumped from high above," boasts one man who dived into the waters from one of the nearby trees.

"I was apprehensive," he adds. "The branches could give way and you could fall on the rock edge of the pool, and there was a possibility I could have lost my life, but at this moment, I am doing what I feel good about, and that possibility of death doesn't scare me."

The Timket festival dates back to the 16th century, but it was marked only in churches until the baptismal ceremonies were introduced, explains Bantalem Tadesse Tedla, a historian at the University of Gondar.

The baptisms, usually held on January 19, are celebrated differently in other parts of the country. "There are three options for Timket," says Tedla. "To be immersed, to collect water from three pipes and pour it on people, or to collect water and sprinkle it -- it depends on the availability of water.

"In Gondar, the first is implemented, because of the existence of this very important building," he adds, referring to the stone bath -- a UNESCO world heritage site built in 1632 for King Fasil (Fasiledes).

As the afternoon winds down, people begin to leave the pool and head back to the streets, but the festivities aren't quite over. Each tabot is now paraded back to its respective church with crowds of onlookers eager to get one last look at them.

Back at the churches, it's a different, quieter scene. Congregants fill the church grounds to listen in on a final service, and after a closing prayer it's time to send the tabot back inside the church to its resting place.

The locals will eventually return to their homes for a special feast, but in the meantime, the celebrations on the streets of Gondar continue -- a chance for orthodox Christians to celebrate and come together for one of the most sacred and festive days of the year.